Comics Review: "Indestructible" #1

There are plenty of books about superheroes; they’re all over the place. Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Invincible - the list goes on. So, naturally, we started getting books about superheroes who aren’t as good and perfect as we thought. Superheroes who take advantage of their powers and their status in society. Books like Kick-Ass and The Boys, for example.

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Indestructible, by Jeff Kline, with art by Javi Garron, falls into the second category. In this book’s universe, superheroes don’t have secret identities. Instead, they’re regular celebrities who get asked for autographs, surrounded by paparazzi, get let into clubs before all the regular people and everything else you’d expect from a celebrity.

While not a terribly original set up, it’s still different enough from other books like it that it doesn’t feel like a total rip off. But the thing that sets this book apart from the usual suspects, is the main character: Greg Pincus. Pincus is an average kind of guy. Less than average, probably. He lives with a slob of a roommate, he goes to dinner with his family, and he plays video games and so on.

Pincus’ date night starts off poorly, with his beautiful date (it’s mentioned there was a mix up with the dating site) being easily seduced by a superhero out of uniform, leaving him out in the cold. Not long after, his roommate convinces him to return the rented video games, meaning a trek all the way to the store.

The slob roommate and Greg.

After arriving at the store and convincing an employee named Claire to open up for him just after closing. When a guy needs to rent Madden, he really needs to rent Madden. GUN MAN ATTACK!!! Two angry looking gentleman with guns break into the store, shouting at Claire to let them into the safe. They get rather miffed upon learning that this is, in fact, rather impossible. So miffed, in fact, one of them turns the gun on Claire. Against his better judgement, Pincus steps in front of the gun, leading to him being shot in the chest.

Superheroes are assholes.

But this is a superhero story! Of course he’s alive. He gets up in a daze, picks up Madden and leaves. He wakes up the next day in shock, barely remembering what happened. But... He wasn’t saved by superpowers. Unless you call leaving his date’s hip flask in his pocket after she abandoned him. That’s not a superpower, is it? Seriously, I need to know this. Assuming that ISN’T a power, the real strength of this book is the idea of putting an average guy into a world of superpowers and then NOT giving him superpowers. It’s a fun, interesting idea that I honestly don’t recall ever being done.

Greg Pinkus can't catch a break, even from his family.

Jeff Kline has created an interesting universe that greatly resembles our own and he has filled it with fun, believable characters. The story is incredibly intriguing and I found myself loving every page. While it seems predictable in ways, Kline throws enough elements into the mix to keep it all fresh and enjoyable. The art aint too shabby, either! I’ve mentioned my love of cartoon styles a few times before, so it’s no surprise that I love Javi Garron and Salvi Garcia’s work on this book. The style is very similar to that of Ryan Ottley, another artist I’m rather fond of. The characters feel even more believable, despite the cartoon-ish looks. They’re full of life and are very expressive. You can probably tell that I seriously enjoyed this book. It’s fun, interesting and well written with fantastic art. If you’re not reading Indestructible, you’re a fool. A FOOL. Go out and buy a copy. Return here and thank me in the comments.

"Indestructible" #1 is out on IDW. Did you pick it up today? What are your thoughts?